Summer Visit - 2017 - CephC:LABS

The summer visit to Caltech is 4 days long and is the only time during the year of work when all the participants on the team come together in person to work intensively on the data. Generally, each educator may bring up to two students to the summer visit that are paid for by NITARP, and they may raise funds to bring two more. The teams work at Caltech; the summer visit typically includes a half-day tour of JPL, which is a favorite site for group photos. Reload to see a different set of quotes.

The CephC-LABS team came to visit in June 2017. The core team educators attended, plus 5 students.

Quotes

[student:] Everything could not have been done online, since we were able to be together we could much more easily help one another and actually trust one another. The group became much closer after spending a week together and I feel like we became very good friends.

[student:] The best thing about this trip was the knowledge that we are looking at data untouched by other eyes. It gave me such a rush of adrenaline, knowing that our data hasn't ever been worked with!

[...] this was a much different experience than taking a grad course, or doing a workshop on a campus. It reminded me of my undergrad physics courses (25+ years ago), where professors would often through big gems of knowledge a class, which you would take back to your dorm room and wrestle with throughout the week, although you were sure to get another packet of knowledge at the next lecture. I was able to get a glimpse into the experience of learning at an accelerated pace. It will help me this year as I make my revisions and consider what my students will experience as I lead classes this year, and also the rigor that must be maintained.

I think it was really important for us to spend a substantial amount of time together, get to know one another, struggle with concepts together, and work toward a common goal. Online hangouts are a decent (and cheaper $ !) substitute, but can’t replace face to face interaction and problem solving. Also, physically being at a college campus or at JPL is a powerful experience for our students. I expected our group to feel more cohesive after the trip and I definitely think we left California as a stronger team.

[student:] I was confused a great deal during the process! I honestly think that it is EXTRAORDINARILY hard to NOT get confused/frustrated during this! With the help of my teammates, I did work through it in a timely manner. Honestly, I loved being confused. I knew that finding the answer to the question that plagued me would help farther along. I got more than enough support! I liked being able to ask questions, and, yes, I could definitely still use the support!